SMALLEST LAPTOPS
ASUS EEE PC 1000H
ASUS EEE PC 1000HScreen Size: 10”
Battery Life: 5 hours
Operating System: Windows XP
Weight: 3.2lbs
ASUS’ EEE PC range was a key playing in the birth of small laptops only a few years ago. Early models were limited by their small solid state drives and reliance on using Linux as the primary OS to keep the price down. Initially, the EEE PC was designed with only the most casual users in mind, but a shift to Windows XP as well as a full upgrade of just about every aspect of the old model has seen the 1000H bring Asus back to the forefront of the small laptop market.
Technical specs of the laptop include a 10 inch screen with integrated 1.3 MP webcam, Intel Atom CPU and a 160GB hard drive, all powered by a 6-cell battery.
One of the bigger criticisms of the old EEE PC range was that at seven inches, the screen was just too small to effectively display web pages and other forms of content that are increasingly designed for large, wide-screen displays. Further problems relating to size included the keyboard being too small for fast typers with large hands to keep up their natural speed on the system.
The 1000H has changed that. Yes, it's still at the lower of what most consumers would consider a small laptop, but the jump to 10" has increased usability tenfold. It allows users to not only take full advantage of the sharp and vibrant LCD display but also keep their typing speeds up by a much more spaced out and sensibly designed keyboard. Even the touch pad has been improved and made more ergonomic and responsive.
It's the little features that make the 1000H stand out on the cutting edge of small laptops. The "Super Hybrid Engine" technology allows you to switch between 3 different CPU speeds which enhance the systems portability. Writing a word document? Set your CPU speed to 1.2 GHz and save battery life. Watching a video file? Set your CPU speed to maximum and take full advantage of the Intel Atom's speed.
Add to this an integrated card reader, web cam, free office suite and even a button above the keyboard that can change your resolution and you have a very complete hardware package. As small laptops go, battery life is slight above average performing for about 4.5-5 hours under heavy load. It's advertised at 7 hours, although it’s unlikely you'll get close to that unless you leave the laptop on idle.
With prices ranging between $400 and $600 depending on your technical requirements, the N1000 is one of the best deals amongst all the small laptops. It doesn't specialize in anything particular and its battery life might be a letdown for some, but its budget price tag and attractive arrange of features make it a front line contender for casual users.
HP Mini 1000
HP Mini 1000Screen Size: 8.9” / 10.2”
Battery Life: 3 hours
Operating System: Windows XP / Linux (Ubuntu)
Weight: 2.5lbs
HP’s last small laptop offering was the 2133. It was an interesting attempt at the market with an excellent control interface and keyboard. Unfortunately, use of a budget processor and a high price range meant the system couldn’t quite cut it amongst its competitors at the time. The Mini 1000 is HP’s consumer answer to the 2133, lifting the excellent keyboard straight from the business model while upgrading the CPU to the much more powerful Intel Atom.
The Mini 1000 runs on Windows XP, uses a 1.6 Ghz Intel Atom processor and comes with 1Gb or 2Gb memory options as standard. Nine or ten inch screens are available depending on preference and price range, and everything is powered by a standard 3-cell battery. The 'Mini' version of the range runs Windows XP but the 'Mi' runs Ubuntu Linux complete with proprietary HP media software. Hard drive options include a spinning 60GB drive or an 8/16GB solid state solution.
Like most HP machines, the 1000 stands out in the small laptop market for both its stylish design and light weight form factor. HP thankfully swapped out the metal chassis from the 2133 with plastic - it looks cheaper, sure, but you also save money and in weight in the swap. The laptop remains attractive once opened with an excellent use of the limited space on offer.
The amazing thing about the Mini 1000 and the thing that many people considering purchasing a small notebook should consider is the size of the keyboard. HP claim the keyboard on the 1000 is 92% of the size of a regular laptop keyboard. That's quite an achievement, and in terms of typing if nothing else, the 1000 is the best in the market. This makes the HP product perfect for people who have had a bad experience with key mashing or pain when using other small laptop keyboards.
The 10 inch display model offers the standard 1024x600 resolution seen in many small laptops. As with much of HP's laptop range, the screen is covered in gloss which makes the display look fantastic - inside. Outside on a sunny day you'll be constantly trying to adjust the screen to avoid reflection, a shame considering it does limit the portability of the device somewhat.
The only thing that lets the 1000 down slightly is the rather confusing decisions HP has made with the systems ports. The 1000 has 2 USB ports and only one port for audio. There's actually plenty of room for the extra ports but HP has decided to use the space for a proprietary system called 'Mini mobile drive'. Mini mobile drive is nothing more than a high capacity memory stick that you can only buy from HP, and we can't see any reason why most small laptop users would ever find a use for one.
The Mini 1000 retails from $500 depending on your options with the 'designer' Vivienne Tam edition selling for a ridiculously high $700+. We recommend grabbing the Windows XP 'Mini' range over the 'Mi' as the extra money you have to spend on Windows gives you so much more software options. An extend battery might also be on the cards for some users as the 1000 uses a 3-cell system that will only last around 2.5 hours under heavy use.
Sony VAIO VGN-P588E Lifestyle PC
Sony VAIO VGN-P588E Lifestyle PCScreen Size: 8”
Battery Life: 2.5 Hours
Operating System: Windows Vista Home Premium
Weight: 1.4lbs
Wow, that's a bit of a mouthful, isn't it? It's a rather pretentious name for what is essentially just another small laptop, but then the Vaio range has always been one for style and design following just behind apple in desirability ratings. It’s popular amongst people with the disposable income to afford to pay for the brand as well as the components.
And there's no denying that the P5's design is excellent. It's stylish without being loud. It’s thin and elegant. It looks like no other small laptop on the market, so if you're after some visual originality, the P5 has to be right up there with anything Apple can offer. It comes with a price tag to match the design however, weighing in it over a thousand dollars.
The Sony model opts for an 8 inch widescreen display, offering a resolution of 1,600 x 768, slightly different from the usual notebook standard. In fact, it's one of the best resolutions around for a system of its size and because the screen is so wide, there’s far less chance you'll have to worry about scrolling.
Sony's small laptop is also unusual in its decision to use a pointing stick rather than a touch pad to save space. Some people really dislike pointing sticks and find them slow and difficult to use, while others actually prefer them to a touchpad.. The keyboard is adequate and doesn't have any major faults, though as one of the smaller laptops in this list the lack of space does making typing quite a challenge for those with big hands.
One rather confusing design decision was the move to Windows Vista as opposed to more lightweight systems like Linux or XP. The P5 comes equipped with 2GB of ram, but where better operating systems would fly Vista feels slow and cumbersome. It's important to weigh in the resource load of the operating system when directly comparing system technical specifications. Of course, the eye catching design of Vista fits very well into the P5’s own visual attractiveness.
Extra features are what make the P5 stand out amongst cheaper competitors. It has .11n wireless which is faster than standard, GPS, Bluetooth and even integrated mobile broadband. This makes it highly connectable which is a massive bonus for a portable device. Combine this with its weight and fact it's less than inch thick and it's one of the best devices out there in terms of pure portability.
The battery life of the laptop is the only crutch on portability, offering just over 2 hours under heavy use. You could probably get more out of the system by swapping to a less battery draining operating system. Sony also offers a larger capacity battery that nearly doubles the life of the system, but it does stick out of the P5 and it costs another $100 on top of the already heavy price tag.
RESOURCE: http://laptopadvisor.blogspot.com/2009/04/top-10-best-small-laptops.html
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